Snow Prompts Rise in Last Minute Holiday Bookings

The big freeze has led to a surge in holiday bookings as many Britons consider escaping the snow over the festive holiday. Travel Counsellors is reporting a 20% increase in bookings, with high demand for sunshine breaks over Christmas and into January and Lowcosttholidays.com says its website traffic was up 60% since the first snow fell.

Long-haul hotspots including Miami and Dubai are among the most searched winter sun destinations attracting travellers – Hotels.com reports a huge rise in searches on its site for holidays in Miami.

Travel Counsellors pinpointed destinations outside the Eurozone – Egypt and Turkey are among the most popular. The company said more people were opting for ten or eleven night breaks rather than the usual fortnight.

According to Lowcostholidays.com top searches were for holidays in the Canary Islands, Dubai and Thailand but short breaks away to Madrid and Barcelona are also popular.

Hotels.com said searches to Miami had gone up 700% compared to last year, while one of southern Spain’s most beautiful cities, Granada, with its relatively untouched Costa Tropical beaches west of Malaga, is a hot spot. With its combination of vibrant city, Moorish-influenced buildings, the world famous Alhambra Palace and family-friendly beaches, it ticks a lot of boxes.

Also among the most searched cities are Florence in Italy and Orlando, Florida.